Mary Had A Little Lamb
by DANCElikeNOBODYisWATCHING
Summary: Mary Macdonald has had to endure five years of living within the same walls as the Maurauders, including the infuriatingly arrogant, pureblooded, sometimes tear-inducing, maybe handsome Sirius Black. Join her for her sixth year at Hogwarts School of Magic
1. My Mess Of A Day

**A/N: So this is yet another random thought of mine. It'll (hopefully) only last a couple chapters. I made a deal with myself that I wouldn't publish this if I hadn't already written the first couple chapters. Clearly, I have the next update ready and waiting. (It's taken over three months to finish that much as I don't get that much time to really get stuck into it.) All I need is a little interest and I'll upload it straight away. It's my very first Marauder/Harry Potter fic and I have a soft spot for it. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling is the mastermind.**

_**Chapter 1**_

_**My Mess Of A Day**_

I pushed lightly on the door and watched as it swung silently open. I smiled privately to myself at the mysterious aspect of returning Potter's book to a dorm I wasn't supposed to set foot it. Laughing quietly to myself, I stepped inside and scanned the four four-posters. None of then bore names but thankfully, Potter's trunk had his innitials engraved in the leather. My smile grew as I took in the piles of clutter surrounding their respective spaces.

"Boys," I muttered, amused. I cleared a cracked ink bottle and several used quils from his bedside cabinet and replaced them with the course book. With a theatrical flourish, I balanced a small, folded square of parchment on top of it.

I nodded to the moving figures of what must've been his parents and turned to leave. A flash of black and red distracted me and I glanced over at the crumpled covers of the bed farthest from the door. Sitting arranged on the top were several individual photographs. My brow furrowed when I recognised Lilly's firey locks and green eyes. What was a photo of my classmate doing here? My confusion grew as my gaze flickered to the snapshot beside it and I saw myself staring back at me.

"What the..?" I mummbled, picking my way over. I picked them both up and stared at them intensly.

A low growl sent me jumping into the air. I whirled and my hair fanned out around my face like a snowstorm. Standing in the doorway was a huge, looming form. I was dazed for a moment by the sheer monstrous size of the dog until it started forward. Realising my heart was beating double time, I stepped carefully back and to the right. It growled again and it's ears flicked flat against it's skull.

"Easy, easy," I murmered, "How'd you get into the castle, hmm? Dogs aren't allowed." I kept my voice soothing but it seemed to have no effect on the beast as it started slinking after me. I refused to let any panic cloud my thinking but I could distinctly feel the hazy feeling beating on the edges of my mind.

Ever so slowly, I moved again so the corner of James' bed was between it and me yet I still had a clear shot at the door. I counted down in my head.

_Three._

_Two._

_One!_

I shot forward and within three paces I was out the dormitory and swinging the wooden door shut as I rounded the corner into the spiral stairs. I could hear the scratching of the dog's claws scrapping against the stone floor as it gave chase.

Because of the sunny weather, everyone was outside so there was no one to help me in the common room. My best hope was to make it out the front doors and across the field to the group of Griffindor students sprawled lazily there. Unfortunately, I had to make it there first. I could've cursed the dog but that thought was instantly banished.

I shoved my way through the portrait of The Fat Lady and sprinted down the corridor, ignoring her shouted insults aimed at my back. I concentrated on not tripping and urged my feet to go faster. I rounded corner after corner. Each time, the scrapping and panting behind me seemed to draw closer. My breath started to burn in my throat and the panic I'd pushed back was fighting for dominance of my mind. I spied a tall pile of stacked chairs sitting outside my charms classroom and without thought flicked my wand at them, causing the whole lot to come tumbling to the ground a second after I passed.

Sunlight spilling across stone swam into view and I nearly cried at the sight. I shot through the front entrace with the force of a bullet and started the last leg of the race to safety. There came a menacing snarl, mere meters from my heels and I whimpered, tears starting to well in the corners of my eyes. By the time I was halfway across the lawn, that moisture overflowed the brims of my eyes and slid down my cheeks.

I scanned the grass for a student I knew would help and spotted Lily and Potter standing along with a few others under the shade of a tree. A sound caught between a laugh of relief and a sob of fear passed out my throat.

Potter spotted me first and his eyes widened when I drew close enough for him to see my distraught expression. He stepped around Lily and Lupin and I nearly knocked him off his feet when I threw myself at him. He barely registered my grabbing his shoulder and spinning myself behind his back. My limbs quaked with full sobs and my exhausted body had to lean heavily on him.

"What is it Mar- Oh," he didn't sound surprised at the sight of the animal, only shocked at the ferocity of it's snarls and black glares, "What happened?" It took me a while to control my terror enough to answer.

"I-I was j-just returni-ing your t-transfiguration book! A-and it appeared a-and started ch-chasing m-me!" I whimpered, my whole body shivering and quaking.

"You hear that?" Potter spoke clearly to the dog, "She was just returning something to me. No need for all the fuss." The dog blew air heavily out it's nose and spun on it's hind legs before setting off at a run toward the Black Forest. I moaned in relief and sagged to the ground, too weary to hold myself up any more.

"Are you alright?" Lily knelt by my side, tucking my wild hair behind my ear so she could see my face. I nodded shakily and closed my eyes for a moment.

"Do you think you need to go to Madame Pomfrey for a calming potion?" I considered Lily's subtle suggestion but declined with a sharp jerk of my head. If I was truly in need of a calming potion, I'd visit her later, when I didn't have an audience.

"Here," I glanced up and found Potter's hand inches from my nose. I took it gratefully and gained my feet.

"T-thanks," I stuttered, eyes securely fixed to the ground.

"Don't mention it," I nodded and started walking up the slight incline to the castle. It was with a dull shock that I realised the entire group had decided to accompany me. I shakily smiled my gratitude at Lily and she seemed to get the message. But my balance was offset and after my third stumble, Lily threaded her arm gently around my waist. Her warmth contrasted starkly with my cold, clammy flesh. At the portrait, I noticed Black's absence from the group and voiced my curiosity.

"Where's Black?" my voice was harsh and trembled and broke repeatitively. Potter exchanged a look with Lily and then with Lupin but didn't answer me.

Lily helped lift me over the rim into the Griffindor common room and led me carefully around the many over-stuffed chairs to a small couch directly in front of the fireplace. The harth was cool and still but I appreciated her intentions.

I dimly heard the portrait creak open again but I was too busy staring at the singed carpet to check who it was. Lily, though, didn't have any problem with looking up. She stiffened beside me and shot to her feet. Her voice amplified to a shout but her actual words were lost to me in my state of shock. Someone said something and her rant was cut off. I felt the couch indent next to me and I was thrown against a wiry, hard shoulder. I said nothing as whoever it was straightened me gently, only stared glassily. Lily shot something in a low voice that I was almost positive held a profanity in the mix before I heard her retreating footsteps.

I couldn't be sure how many minutes slipped by with me sitting and staring but eventually, students started to pour through the portrait hole. Several voices teased and taunted from across the room but I took no notice.

My hair rustled and a warm hand brushed against my neck, "Mary." I jumped at the whisper, head shooting up at the rough timbre that reminded me so much of the dog. Realising it was only Black, I slumped tiredly in my seat.

"Oh, Mary," he sighed. There was a long pause before he asked, "Will you tell me what happened?"

I swallowed, eyes again fixed on a set of three black marks branded into the carpet. If I tilted my head slightly, they lined up to create a pawprint. A violent shiver rocked through me.

"Are you cold?" Black asked carefully. I shook my head. I wasn't cold, just numb. He fell back into silence but after a moment, I broke it.

"There was a dog," I whispered, "Only, he looked more like bear, he was so big."

"How do you know it was a 'he'?" Black prodded gently. I didn't answer him, choosing to continue instead.

"I wanted to pet him," I murmered, voice growing softer and softer, "For a moment I wanted to bury my fingers in his fur," pausing, I tried to calm my jittery nerves when a new train of thought struck me like a bolt of lightning. While he was being semi-civil, I supposed there was no harm in asking.

"Why do you hate me Sirius?" Glancing up at him from under my eyelashes, I caught his look of total shock.

"W-what? Where did that come from?"

I shrugged, "I've always wanted to know. Is it because I'm a mudblood? Lilly told me that your whole family is really into that sort of thing."

"No, it's not because you're a mud- muggleborn," he slid his hand through his hair, pushing the few strands that had fallen into his eyes back.

"It's okay if you do," I said, turning my eyes back to the carpet, "I was just curious." My voice sounded too flat, even to my own ears and I knew that he knew I hated how he had almost slipped and called me a 'mudblood' mere seconds before.

"It's _not_ because you're a muggleborn," he said firmly. I nodded vagely, tuning out again.

"Perhaps one day you'll tell me why," I whispered. He may have responded but I didn't expend the effort to pay attention to his words.

The days excitement and terror had worn on me, dragging me toward exhaustion. I swayed dangerously, leaning toward the floor.

"Whoa there," Black teased as he looped his arms protectively around my waist and shoulders. He got to his feet, dragging me with him. A sudden feeling of weightlessness took over my body and I difted closer to the sea of black, dreamless sleep pressing against my weary mind. Black's parting words were, "That's it Sweetheart, I've got you. Just go to sleep." And I did.

**How was that? Now, I know it probably raised a lot of questions but never fear, I fully intend to answer as many questions as I can in the next chapter. If you think of something you'd really like to know, tell me and I'll try to slip the answer in somewhere. As you may have quessed, I'm not a big fan of answering everything in Author's Notes, so bear with me.**

**Anyway, I hope to return to oodles and oodles of reviews but I'll take what you give me, even critisism. Just as long as it's constructive. **

**Thanks for reading,**

**DANCElikeNOBODYisWATCHING**


	2. I Love To Hate You

**A/N: Here's chapter two. It's a bit clunky as the beginning is light and the end is depressing and the bridge between the two is thin and rickety but I hope you still enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I wish...**

_**Chapter 2**_

_**I Love To Hate You**_

I woke to the sound of shouting. Groaning in annoyance, I tried to block the noise by burying my head but it was too late. I was already alert.

"Good morning to you too Mary," a voice called, followed by laughter. My eyes snapped open to reveal a warm, sunlit dorm. Standing around said dorm were three sixth year boys. I shrieked and pulled the sheets covering me right up to my chin.

"I take it that she's awake," Black called, seconds before he entered. I caught his taunting smirk just as I screwed my eyes shut tightly. Potter joined Black in laughing at my embarrassed blush. I opened just my left eye but almost immediately shut it again.

"I think I've embarrassed Mary McDonald," Black sang, his voice looming closer. Suddenly, I was scooped up off the bed I was lying on and spun around. Shreiking in fright, I heard them laughing. I was dropped gently back onto the mattress and I heard Lupin say, "Get some clothes on Sirius. We don't need to know what quidditch team your underwear supports."

"Hear, hear," I mumbled, making them laugh boistrously again.

"How did I get up here anyway?" I asked once Black was suitably attired, "I mean, there is no way I would consciously walk into this deathtrap of boy cooties."

"Well it's a good thing Padfoot brought you up here unconscious then, eh?" Potter chortled. I had long since gotten used to their nicknames so I knew who to glare at. Black held his hands in the air as if surrendering.

"Would you've rather spent the night on a couch and woken with a crick in your neck? Wasn't my bed so much better?" My eyes flew wide and I leapt from the bed. Unfortunately, my ankles got twisted in the sheets and I tripped to the floor. That didn't hinder me though. No Sir! I fought my material bonds, finally scuttling backwards away from the bed.

"Ew! Ew, ew, ew!" I squealed like a little girl, "Black cooties! I'm tainted, I'm tainted!"

"Hey!" he objected through his friends' howls of mirth, "You weren't complaining last night!"

"That makes it sound like... I was dead on my feet!" I suddenly fell silent as I remembered why I had fallen asleep on the couch. Collecting myself and plastering as geniune a smile as I could muster over my face, I stood and made my way to the door.

"Well, thanks for you hospitality," I said, "I've really got to go get ready for class now." Slipping out the door, I heard Potter murmer something that sounded like, "was going so well."

I raced down the stairs then up the other side to my dormitary. Bursting through the door, I heard Lily swallow a shriek. She placed a hand over her chest and sighed.

"Don't _do_ that to me, Mary. You almost gave me a heartattack."

I grinned, "Not as big a one as I just had. Guess where I woke up." I tried to push the dirty shadow of yesterday to the back of my mind but I still closed the door securely and sat on my bed, lifting my feet up over the edge. Shaking my head at all Lily's obscure quesses, I told her. Naturally, she demanded details so I told her the whole story. As I talked, I magiced a clean set of uniform to me and changed into them without letting even my toes peep over the edge of my mattress. I think Lily noticed but she didn't say anything.

"Come on," she urged from the door, already ready to go to breakfast.

"You go on. I've got to fix my hair and sort my bag out."

"Okay," she seemed doubtious but she turned to leave anyway. As soon as she was gone, I ran the mirror hanging beside Alice's bed and yanked my brush brutaly through my pale spirals. Alice and Margeretta must have left early. There was no doubt in my mind that Alice had gone to see Frank Longbottom. They had been going out for almost three months now and she was smitten.

Margeretta was probably just trying to avoid me. Of all the girls in my year, she was the one I clashed with the most. Lily too. She was extremely predijuce against muggleborns. She hung out with Bellatrix and her lot, gaining the same snarky, 'let's-torture-everyone' attitude. Mainly it was just me, Lily and Alice. We met on the Hegwarts Express our first year and have never looked back, becoming fast friends almost instantly.

Black and his band of goons, we also met on the train. Potter took an instant liking to Lily that has almost sent her over the edge multiple times in the past five years. However, over the recent holidays, something has changed. Lily smiles at his jokes now and actually thinks about his date proposals. My suspicion is that they'll be going out within a couple weeks.

Black on the other hand... I think we've had one decent conversation in third year. Before that, he mostly ignored me. He sprung the occational nasty boobytrap on me and he always managed to talk down to me but after that wednesday afternoon, he hasn't stopped attacking me, pranking me, arguing with me. I still have no clue what I said to make him hate me, but it must've been something terrible to have caused all the destruction and choas that ensued.

That was why his soft words beside the fire last night surprised me so much.

Realising I was needlessly brushing, I threw my hairbrush on my bed, grabbed my bag and started riffling through it, making sure I had that Charms essay that was due today.

The door creaked loudly, making me whirl, wand out and ready to curse. When I saw the empty doorway, I sighed in relief and continued my searching. For a second, I thought I'd heard growling.

I found the parchment wedged between two course books. Flatening it out gently, I slid it carefully into my Charms book.

The corridors were quiet, really, really quiet. The smallest creak or groan of the castle seemed to echo for miles. Glancing around me, I saw the shadows flicker. They seemed to morph into a hulking canine body. Not wasting one second, I set off at a sprint. My heart thundered in my chest, faster than my feet beat the stone ground. I wasn't sure where I was going but when I got there, I was still thankfull.

Madame Pomphrey didn't ask questions. So when I requested several doses of calming potion, she handed them over wordlessly.

"Thanks," I muttered. She gave me a smile before returning to her paperwork. As soon as I was out of sight in the corridor, I downed one of the vials. A wave of warmth washed over my skin, erasing my goosebumps and slowing my heartbeat. Breathing easier, I made my way to the Great Hall. Breakfast was almost over. I just managed to snatch up a piece of toast before it vanashed.

"There you are, Mary," I spun wildly but smiled when I caught sight of Lily and Alice. Frank stood off to the side, hand intertwined with Alice's. I grinned at her, eyebrow raised. She shrugged, neither her smile nor his hand dropping. I walked over to them, taking a bite out of my toast as I joined them.

"I thought you'd gotten lost," Lily was teasing but there was something to her voice that made me think she was worried I might've.

"Me? Never!" I crowed through my full mouth.

"Gross!" Alice shouted but she was grinning. Lily's smile settled on her face again. She wound her arm through mine and we walked into the day together.

"What a day!" Alice groaned as she fell into one of the seats crowding the common room, "You know, I think we have homework from just about _every class_? How is that fair?"

"We _are_ in our O.W.L.s year," Lily reasoned, "You can't expect there to be no homework. What were you hoping to get good grades with?"

"My charm and goodlooks," Alice said immediately. Lily laughed, sinking into the chair next to hers.

Some part of my mind knew Alice had just cracked a mildly funny joke but I couldn't concentrate long enough to find out how it was funny. My knee bopped up and down at an ever increasing pace as my anxiety grew.

"Hey Mary, are you alright?" I jumped at my name but recovered in time to nod.

"I'll be back soon," I muttered, taking off. Lily called out after me but I was already out the portrait.

Madame Pomphrey gave me a concerned look when I asked for more calming potion and a sleeping draught as well.

"You've got to be careful dear," she warned, "Don't take too much."

"No," I smiled tightly at her, "Of coarse not. Thankyou." I left before she could say anything more. I returned to the common room doped up on calming potion and yawning widely. Lily and Alice were nowhere to be seen. Checking the time, I realised Lily would have Prefect patrols now and Alice was probably off snogging Frank. I trooped up to my dorm and entered, eyes closing. I landed solidly in the center of my bed, sound asleep.

My racing heartbeat woke me in the pitch black. I tried to remember my dream but it evaded me. I suspected it had something to do with that wretched dog. Sniffing, I rummaged through my pockets and found the vials containing my potions. I uncorked one and swallowed it in one mouthfull. Immediately, I began to feel dozy. Swaying slightly, I set the remaining vials on my bedside cabinet and fell back to sleep.

The next few days flew by in a blur of nightmares, tention and potions. By the fourth time I went to Madame Pomphrey, she started giving me a lower dosage. I could tell because I had to take two vials to counteract the anxiety. Classes were a mess. I couldn't focus on the professors or the work. I was issued with detention but I missed it because I fell asleep as soon as I returned to the common room. My dreams were plauged by four footed fiends with midnight fur and dark eyes. I jumped at loud noises, thinking they were the beast trying to get at me.

One good thing did come out of my skittish mood. Black left me alone. Maybe he had finally given up on his rediculus game or perhaps he knew I was close to breaking. Whatever the reason, I was greatful. I just hoped I could settle back into my life long enough to actually enjoy the peace while it lasted.

**Well, what do you think? I just reread it, checking for typos and decided I do quite like it after all. I'm thinking of something a bit different for the next chapter but you'll have to review to get it.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**DANCElikeNOBODYisWATCHING**


	3. Words Of Wisdom

**A/N: I thought you might like a break from skittish Mary and instead have a peak behind the scenes. This is incredibly short (only two hundred and twenty one words!) but I figured if I gave you too much more, the story might get a bit predictable. So without further ado...**

_**Interlude**_

_**Words Of Wisdom**_

"You have to do something," Lily hissed, slamming her textbooks on the table Sirius was studying at, "I'm sick of watching her flinch at loud noises or jump when someone pulls a chair across the ground! She's terrified, Black, and it's all your fault."

Sirius finished writing out his sentence and looked up at her from under his lashes, "What do you want me to do?"

"Fix it!" she growled back. Sirius flinched.

"How?" Lily suddenly noticed how slumped he was, how quiet and withdrawn he was. Hopelessness echoed in his voice. She thought back over the last few days and realised for the first time just how flat his smiles had been, how empty his laugh had become. Mary's brief encounter with Sirius' dog and continued paranoia had worn him down. Lily softened her tone when she spoke again.

"Sirius, you need to help her forgive or at least forget. She's been taking calming potions and sleeping draughts every day and night. I don't know how long her body will be able to keep up." With that, Lily scooped her books into her arms again and left.

Sirius stared after her, long after her firey locks had disappeared from view. Finally, he sighed, rubbed his face vigorously and returned to his essay.

**Dun, dun, dah! What will Sirius do? Actually, I'm kinda wondering that myself. If you have any suggestions, I'd like to know.**

**There may or may not be more 'Interludes' in the future. I suppose it all depends on how long this goes on for and how much people like this one. So even if you hate it, please review, else I have no way of knowing how to make it more entertaining,**

**DANCElikeNOBODYisWATCHING**


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